recycled piece of paper (Fatimid chancery document)

Ingredients

paper, gazelle skin (mentioned in recipe)

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The 'Path jumping' recipe (teleportation) found in three fragments (T-S AS. 142.28, T-S Ar. 43.91, T-S NS. 322.19) instructs the user to: 'Write on gazelle skin / and hang (it) on your right arm' or alternatively 'on your belt'. The text to be inscribed includes: 'In the name of Ahiniel Ra[ph]ael Gabr[iel] Anael / ᥂uriel [᥂a]dkiel Kruviel Parሩiel / Natruel ሐuriel [A]tuel / (several lines of magic signs and letters)'. It concludes with an adjuration: 'You holy angels / and exulted characters, perform / for me, nn, such and such (a deed), A(men) A(men) S(elah) S(elah)' (p. 19).

Evidence

"A single paper folio, which consists of a "recycled" piece of paper. In this case, an older Fatimid chancery document, probably written only on one side of the folio, was cut into narrow strips... subsequently used to create a vertical rotulus"

Remarks

The Cairo Geniza was the paper storage room of a medieval synagogue in use from the 11th to 19th centuries (p. 9). Fragment T-S NS. 322.19 is a vertical rotulus created by recycling a Fatimid chancery document that was cut into strips and flipped on a horizontal axis (p. 18). It contains magical recipes for protection during travel, winning charm and grace, and remedies for eye-pains (p. 18). The study highlights how amulets were adjusted in form and application to fit their magical function (p. 8).